Up a Chewing Gum Tree Trivia Quiz

Answer: Greek

Many ancient civilisations chewed gum from one source or another. There is even evidence that a type of 'gum' derived from birch bark tar was used in prehistoric times in Northern Europe. It is believed that the Ancient Greeks chewed the resin they obtained from the Mastic tree as far back as the year 50 AD. American Indians chewed gum derived from the spruce tree, which they introduced to settlers in North America, who in turn produced the first commercial chewing gum, called State of Maine Spruce Gum.

A substance called chicle, a latex obtained from the Sapodilla tree, was used in Mayan culture; although the majority of chewing gum nowadays is made from synthetic gum, chicle is still the principal ingredient in some parts of the world.

Answer: Lonnie Donegan

Glasgow-born Lonnie Donegan (Anthony James Donegan MBE) was known as the 'King of Skiffle'. His famous recording of 'Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour...' charted in the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic, making it to number three in the UK and number five in the USA.

The song has been used in several advertising jingles and children's television shows over the years. Lonnie Donegan died from a heart attack in 2002 aged 71, having been plagued with heart problems for many years.

Answer: Ohio

The first commercial gum, State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum, was made and sold by John B Curtis, of Bangor, Maine in 1848, but the honours for taking out the first patents has its roots in Ohio. Although it was Amos Tyler who took out a patent for his chewing gum recipe in July 1869, he never produced it commercially and it was fellow Ohioan William Finley Semple, a dentist, who filed the first patent for its manufacture in December of that year. Production, though, really took off with the opening of Thomas Adams' factory in New York. Making his chicle-based gum on a machine patented by him in 1871 he sold his product, Adams New York Chewing Gum, through drugstores, and was also responsible for the invention of the world's first chewing gum vending machine.

Answer: Yes

Chewing gum is very low in saturated fats and sodium, but high in sugar, unless of course it is a sugar-free gum; however, even being sugar-free can have its drawbacks as some artificial sweeteners commonly used in sugar-free gums may have a laxative effect if taken in large quantities! That notwithstanding, sugar-free gum, which is recommended by many dentists, is much better for your teeth. The effect of chewing has been found to be beneficial as it stimulates the salivary glands to produce more saliva which helps neutralise acids in food and prevents bacteria building up in the mouth.

Sugar-free gums first became available in the early 1950s. It is also said that chewing gum can aid concentration and reduce tension.

Answer: Mickey Spillane

Frank Morrison 'Mickey' Spillane (1918-2006) started his writing career penning stories for comic books in the early 1940s, including 'Superman' and 'Batman'. It was in 1947 that his first novel 'I, The Jury' was published, which introduced his character, tough-guy private detective Mike Hammer, to the literary world.

The 'chewing gum' quote came from Spillane in response to critics who panned the high levels (for the time) of violence and sex in his books. Another of his responses to his critics was 'Those big-shot writers could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar... if the public likes you, you're good.' They certainly thought so - 'I, The Jury' was an instant hit and his books have sold millions worldwide.

Answer: Singapore

Inappropriate disposal of chewing gum on the streets and elsewhere led to the Singapore government banning the sale and import of chewing gum in 1992, which led to much controversy among the public. The government later partially lifted the ban which was revised to permit chewing gums that had a medicinal value such as those gums specifically aimed at strengthening tooth enamel. Even so, these were only available after individual recommendation by dentists or doctors.

The revision followed the United States - Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

The Wrigley Company had lobbied hard for the decision.

Answer: Chewing Magazine

Six-year-old Calvin's adventures with his stuffed toy tiger Hobbes, who comes to life only in Calvin's rich imagination, was syndicated worldwide from 1985 to 1995, when cartoonist and creator Bill Watterson announced that he was stopping writing the strip.

Although no longer syndicated, reruns of the cartoons still appear in many newspapers. Well-known for his firm refusal to bow to pressure to merchandise the strip because he felt it would undermine his characters, Watterson said that he had introduced Calvin's 'Chewing Magazine' as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the huge market in hobby-related magazines.

Answer: sir alex ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson CBE was born in Scotland on New Year's Eve 1941. He began his football career as a player with amateur team Queens Park FC, Glasgow, when he was 16. After managing three Scottish clubs and a brief spell as manager of the Scottish national team, he was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986.

In November 2011 a stand at the Old Trafford Stadium was renamed in his honour to celebrate his quarter-century as the club's manager.

Answer: pharmacist

Franklin V Canning was a New York City pharmacist. His Dentyne gum was originally cinnamon-flavoured. Dentyne is marketed in flavours including mint, of which there are several varieties, and fruit.

Apart from numerous inventions in the fields of medicine and science, pharmacists have been involved in many other creations that are household names worldwide, prime examples being Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Bird's Custard Powder.

Answer: Baseball

Wrigley Field was built in 1914 by Chicago businessman Charles Weeghman and has been home to baseball team the Chicago Cubs since 1916. In 1918 William Wrigley Jr, already part of the syndicate which owned the park, gained overall control, and it was renamed 'Wrigley Field' in 1926. Although no longer owned by the Wrigley family, the name has remained.